Oleśnica

For other places with the same name, see Oleśnica (disambiguation).

Oleśnica
Wrocław gate
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Miasto w dobrym stylu A town in good style
Oleśnica
Coordinates: 51°12′N 17°23′E / 51.2°N 17.383°E / 51.2; 17.383
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Lower Silesian
County	Oleśnica County
Gmina	Oleśnica (urban gmina)
Established	13th century
Town rights	1255
Government
- Mayor	Jan Bronś
Area
- Total	20.96 km2 (8.1 sq mi)
Elevation	150 m (492 ft)
Population (2006)
- Total	36,951
- Density	1,762.9/km2 (4,566/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	56-400
Area code(s)	+48 71
Car plates	DOL
Website	http://www.olesnica.pl

Oleśnica [ɔlɛɕˈnit​͡sa] (German: Oels or Öls) is a town in the Trzebnickie Hills in southwestern Poland with 36,951 inhabitants (2006). It is situated in Lower Silesian Voivodeship (from 1975–1998 it was in the former Wrocław Voivodeship). It is the seat of Oleśnica County, and also of the rural district of Gmina Oleśnica (although it is not part of the territory of the latter, the town being an urban gmina in its own right).

The city has been part of an important trade route between Wrocław and the Greater Poland region, and had close ties with Kraków.^{[citation needed]} It was the site of an important printing press and gymnasium. From the 13th century, it had a coin mint.

Name

The town's name comes from the world Olcha(Alder), in the past it was named Olesznica. Olcha is a slavic word for this common plant and tree^[1][2]

History

The ducal castle with a nearby trading settlement was first mentioned in 1189. In the 13th century, the area was settled by Germans.^[3] On 22 February 1255, the village received city rights (Civitatem nostram Olesnicz)^[4] from Henryk III the White, son of Henry II the Pious. From 1320 it was the capital of the Duchy of Oleśnica and the seat of Konrad of Oleśnica. After the 1492 death of Konrad Biały Młodszy, last of the local Piast dynasty, the duchy was sold to the Bohemian Poděbrady dynasty. In 1647 was inherited by the Dukes of Württemberg, and in the 18th century by the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

As Oels, the city was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1742 during the First Silesian War and administered within the Province of Silesia. Following administrative reform in 1807 during the Napoleonic Wars, Oels became the seat of Landkreis Oels. The city became part of the German Empire in 1871 during the Prussian-led unification of Germany.

After World War I, Oels was included within the Province of Lower Silesia. It was heavily damaged by the Red Army in 1945 during World War II, having approximately 60-80% of its buildings destroyed. The city was placed in Poland's borders after the Potsdam Conference and its official name became Oleśnica. The remaining German-speaking population was subsequently expelled and resettled with Poles many of whom were expelled from Eastern Poland annexed in 1945 by the Soviet Union.

Notable residents

• Antoni Cieszyński (1882-1941), surgeon
• Abraham von Franckenberg (1593-1652), mystic born nearby
• Julius Hübner (1806-1882), painter
• Sigmar Polke (1941-2010), artist
• Piotr Czech (born 1986), kicker for Pittsburgh Steelers
• Wojciech Bartnik (born 1967), boxer, olympic bronze medalist

Twin cities

Oleśnica is twinned with:

• Chrudim (Czech Republic)
• Warendorf (Germany)

See also

• Dukes of Oleśnica

References

1. ^ www.poradniajezykowa.us.edu.pl
2. ^ www.olesnica.pl
3. ^ Eberl, Immo (1993). Immo Eberl, Ministry for Internal Affairs, Baden-Württemberg (Germany). ed (in German). Flucht, Vertreibung, Eingliederung. Thorbecke. pp. 26. ISBN 3799525009. 
4. ^ http://alo.uibk.ac.at/webinterface/library/ALO-BOOK_V01?objid=19012 page 333

External links

• Municipal website
• Panorama Oleśnicka (Polish)
• News from Oleśnica (Polish)
• History of Oleśnica (Polish)

Coordinates: 51°12′N 17°23′E / 51.2°N 17.383°E / 51.2; 17.383